Sugar - The Sweet Thief

My family was sick.  I was sick.  I had three small children, one diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. I suffered from extreme bouts of depression, fatigue, stress, PMS and a hodge-podge of other conditions. My family constantly battled with any germ that conveniently floated by.

What I discovered on our journey to rebuild our health was that, while in complete ignorance, I was very much responsible for our struggles.  Now with over ten years of study, reading and searching I have discovered how that we truly are what we eat.  That the food that we ate today, without a doubt, gave us the bodies we had tomorrow.  

The flu doesn’t pass our door.  My daughter has been Ritalin free for years. Our minds are clear, our energy is back, bodies are strong and sleep is sound.
Now I have always heard that sugar is bad for you.  My mother and dentist had made that very clear. But, mostly because of my daughter’s ADHD diagnosis, the sugar in my life was the first to go under the microscope.  I was shocked at what I found.

I had never realized the immensity of power this pretty little white powder had on every corner of our well-being.
 
First a few facts;

What is sugar?  Well, that question has become more and more difficult in the past few years with the introduction of more refined, and dangerous substances in the food industry. But for this article we will look at the sugar we are most familiar with; that sweet, fine powder we put in our coffee, use in our baking, and sprinkle on our cereal every morning.

The Sugar industry has become a 100 billion dollar a year business.  A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) survey it was revealed that the average North American consumes the equivalent of 160 pounds of sugar a year - a 30% increase since the early 1980s. That's the approximate equivalent of 53 heaped teaspoons of sugar per person per day! Most sources estimate that today sugar makes up about 25% of the calories of the average North American diet, with some genres such as teenagers still even higher.

Our common sugar usually starts with the cane or the sugar beet, a delicious creation of nature, a complex carbohydrate, which means it contained all the properties of a whole food: vitamins, minerals, enzymes.

The big problem is that the finished product contains none of the nutrients, vitamins, or minerals of the original plant. White sugar is a simple carbohydrate, which means a fractionated, artificial, devitalized by-product of the original plant.

The refining process takes natural sugar and removes all of the fibre, vitamins, and minerals from it. Some say the process leaves sugar looking closer to a pharmaceutical drug than a food source. Substances such as sulphur dioxide, milk of lime, carbon dioxide, charcoal from charred beef bones, and calcium carbonate can be used in this industrial refining process as purifying agents and then de-colorized with highly toxic dyes Other suspected chemicals can include carbon dioxide, strontium hydroxide and formaldehyde.  

Quite simply put; if it is not in its natural form, it is not natural.  And if it is not natural, your natural body has an tremendous amount of trouble trying to figure out what to do with it. The minerals needed to digest sugar - chromium, manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc, and magnesium-have been stripped during the refined process. This, in turn, forces the body to deplete its own mineral reserves to process the sugar.
Ingestion is far different from digestion: just because you ate it doesn't mean you can use it.

Next time we walk the Natural Path we will take a look at how this sweet thief is stealing from you, the growing list of health risks associate with sugar and how in world this has all gotten so out of control.

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A Lengthy Rap Sheet

What exactly are these alleged charges against sugar?  Is it not the utmost staple of our society and culture?

Perhaps, however one cannot consider the escalating increase in sugar intake and ignore the equally skyrocketing number of chronic disease.

A hundred years ago when much of our current illness was virtually unheard of, sugar consumption was around 5 lbs. a year per person.  Now many North Americans consume an astounding 2-3 lbs a week.

The American Dietetic Association and American Diabetic Association agrees that sugar consumption in America is one of the 3 major causes of degenerative disease.

You have approximately 5 liters of blood traveling in your blood vessels and heart at any given moment. In these 5 liters of blood, you need only about one to one and a half teaspoons of sugar at one time. If you have excess sugar floating through your blood vessels on a regular basis, it may begin to seep in and influence every aspect of your body’s proper functioning.

Many of the dangers of consuming refined sugar are well known - tooth decay and obesity - but sugar can also suppress the immune system, and upset the body's mineral balance. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia, hormonal imbalance, varicose veins, food allergies, hypertension and depression. Sugar is also addictive; it stimulates cravings for more food, particularly sweet food, leading to over-eating.

Back in the 1970s, researchers found out that vitamin C was needed by white blood cells in high concentrations in order for them to destroy viruses and bacteria. Sugar and vitamin C both have similar chemical structures, and they can compete with one another to enter the white blood cells. If there is excess sugar in the blood, there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cells.

New cases of type 2 diabetes have doubled over the last three decades among middle-aged North Americans, with one third of the population being pre-diabetic. As well, type 2 diabetes is beginning to appear in children at an alarming rate.  In the late 1800’s, however, diabetes occurred in only three of 10,000 people.

As well, cancer cells live on sugar. They thrive on it. In fact, cancer cells have 10-15 times more insulin receptors than normal cells -- thereby feeding those cells and energizing them at a rate up to 15 times more than ordinary cells. This is thought a major factor in why cancer cells are so much more aggressive than ordinary cells.

Nancy Appleton, Ph.D. offers up a fascinating read in her book, LICK THE SUGAR HABIT.  In it Dr Appleton provides over 147 reasons how degrades your health and the medical research to back it up.
 A sampling of her findings looks like this:

• Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
• Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children. 
• Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
• Sugar can cause kidney damage.
• Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
• Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
• Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and gray hair.
• High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
• Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
• Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
• Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
• Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
• Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
• Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
• Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
• Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson's disease
• Sugar can cause arteriosclerosis.
• Sugar can cause mineral deficiencies, including zinc, copper and magnesium
• Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
• Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
• Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
• Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.
• Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness, which increases risk of blood clots and strokes. And lowers the bloods effectiveness to flow through the body
• Sugar increases bacterial fermentation and organisms in the colon.

Realizing that sugar may not be that safe ally you once thought it, the trick is now to learn where it lurks. That, however, is becoming more and more difficult as it hides itself behind an array of aliases and disguises. We will learn its favorite hiding spots next time on the Natural Path.

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Finding the Culprit

Sugar has been undeniably linked to the growing number of health-stealing conditions in our society. With the daily intake rising to often 35 teaspoons a day, more than triple the recommended daily amount of 10-12 teaspoons, the need to reduce is becoming more and more urgent. 

Shocked, you are now determined to cut sugar back in the lives of you and your family.  But first you’ll have to find it. Sugar (in one form or another) is added to more food products than you can imagine. It has been taking on more and more clever aliases, hiding under many different names on food labels.

Food manufactures are cashing in on North American’s sugar addictions, adding it to everything possible; soups, sauces, canned, packaged and microwave foods, breads, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, deli meats, toothpaste and cough syrup - even those things that don’t taste sweet. Sugar has been added to hamburgers to reduce shrinkage and add juiciness, to breading in deep fried foods or to give frozen fish a nice sheen. Sugar is added to give flavour, texture, thickening and colouring and to act as a preservative.

An article in the May 2007, Times examined a can of tomato soup that contained on average 2.6g of sugar per 100g in 1978. Today’s soups have double that amount. A can of Campbell’s tomato soup now had 10.4g of sugar per 100g, with more than 4 spoonfuls of sugar in every bowl.

Among other companies exposed, Kellogg’s increase sugar content in some of its best-selling cereals. Cornflakes now have 8g of sugar per 100g compared with 7.4g in 1978; All-Bran has 17g compared with 15.4g in 1978, and Rice Krispies have 10g of sugar, up 1g since 1978.

Consumers have become more aware that, on food labels, the ingredients are listed in order from the largest amounts on down to the lowest. Manufacturers now list several types of sugars instead of one. This way, the sugars can be further down on the ingredient list, even though the total amount is quite high.  I just pulled an oh-so-good-for-you  “health” snack from my cupboard only to find that it lists sugar/glucose-fructose, brown sugar, barley malt, molasses and sugar (again!).  That’s 5 different sugars snuck into one little bar. Do I ever wish I was paying more attention in the store that day!

Become a sugar super-sleuth. Dig out your magnifying glass and examine those labels before you bring them home. There are many types of “sugars” out there, with different names, differing slightly molecularly and functionally but basically the same.  Be on the look out for anything ending in “ose”; sucrose, fructose, glucose, maltose.  Watch for syrups; maple syrup, carob syrup, rice syrup, malt and corn syrup, caramel or barley. As well, its important to know that natural sugars, such as honey, molasses, and juices, although having slight nutritional value are still sources of sugar.
 One of the greatest culprits in the rise in sugar consumption is high fructose corn syrup. Until the 1970s, most sugar was sucrose derived from sugar beets or sugar cane. But sugar from corn, high fructose corn syrup, is immensely more popular. HFCS has become liquid gold to manufacturers, being cheaper and easier to produce.  It is nearly four times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) and being in a liquid form, digests quickly entering the blood stream at lightning speed sending blood sugar levels through the roof.

A lead article of the April 2004 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition stated consumption of HFCS increased more than 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding changes in intake of any other food or food group. Interesting, as well, is the study that places soda consumption as the largest source of high fructose corn syrup in the United States and Canada and the damage it is having on our youth. In the past 10 years, soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled.

Teenage boys now drink, on average, three or more cans of soda per day, and 10 percent drink seven or more cans a day. The average for teenage girls is more than two cans a day, and 10 percent drink more than five cans a day. A study funded by the Milk Processor Education Program found that North Americans drink nearly a quarter of their total daily caloric intake and that more than a third of all the added sugars consumed come from soft drinks.

It’s my prayer that we will begin to look at our lives with sugar from a fresh perspective. Is it really friend or foe? Now that we are beginning to take personal responsibility for our health, half the battle is identifying who is on our side and who is not, and for those that are not, where the attack is coming from.  Finding and removing the hidden sugars in your life will help protect you from a sneak attack.

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What of Imposters

Sometimes it amazes me that this article still has to be written.

And yet, somehow not.

With 20 years since a brave public outcry against artificial sweeteners behind them,the tenacity of manufactures proves persistent.  Armed with creative marketing, large corporate support, and even celebrity endorsements, artificial sweeteners are not only still among us but populating every nook and cranny of the food industry.

Lets take a look:

Aspartame, also known as Equal and Nutrasweet, is a deadly chemical through and through. It is found in most diet colas, sweetened yogurts, sugar-free/ fat-free/diet products, cereals, hard and soft candies, chewing gum and just about everything ‘sweet’. 

Molecularly, aspartame breaks down after 20 minutes at room temperature into three components: aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%). Methanol is the wood alcohol that has killed or blinded thousands searching for a cheap drunk. It is used as a solvent, and as an antifreeze in pipelines and windshield washer fluid. It converts into formaldehyde and formic acid , an ant poison in the gut. Formaldehyde, as you know is a common embalming fluid, a Class A carcinogen. Phenylalanine is a neurotoxin that excites the neurons in the brain to the point of cellular death. It is known to bind to and alters DNA. Immensely dangerous to growing children and pregnant mothers.

There are 92 documented symptoms of aspartame poisoning including headaches, numbness, fatigue, blurred vision, heart palpitations, memory loss, dizziness, muscle spasms, weight gain, seizures, rashes, blindness, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), joint pain, nausea, depression, hearing loss, irritability, slurred speech, anxiety attacks, loss of taste, vertigo and insomnia.

The FDA has received more than 10,000 consumer complaints on Nutra-Sweet and aspartame, alone. Equalling over 80% of the total complaints to the FDA,including five reported deaths.

If all must be brought into the light, according to the FDA's own audit, the Bressler Report, aspartame triggers brain tumors, mammary tumors, pancreatic tumors, ovarian tumors, pituitary adenomas, and uterine tumors. A senior FDA toxicologist, the late Dr. Adrian Gross, tried passionately but unsuccessfully to prevent the approval of aspartame. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines the "safe consumption level" of methanol at 7.8 milligrams per day. However, one liter of a beverage sweetened with aspartame may contain as much as 56 milligrams of methanol.

With all this knowledge in front of us, undenied by its own promoters, I ask again, out loud but hopefully not unheard, after all its years of faithful service, doesn’t your body deserve better?

Next time we’ll take look at the sweetheart of imposters, Splenda.

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Last time, we took a hard, fast look at the artificial sweetener, aspartame.  Is it really a nutritious, healthy alternative to sugar, as we are lead to believe? With its key ingredients being the molecular equivalent of ant poison, antifreeze and formaldehyde, we came to a resounding NOT A CHANCE!!!

With a suspicious cloud hovering over aspartame, the artificial sweetener gurus went to work and in the 1990’s introduced a new player into this game; sucralose.  Under the brand name, Spenda, sucralose is promoted as “the sweetener that is made from sugar so it tastes like sugar”, and has become the nations number one selling artificial sweetener topping $177 million in a one-year period.

According to Dr J. Mercola in his article The Potential Dangers of Splenda “There is no question that sucralose starts off as a sugar molecule. It is what goes on in the factory that is concerning. Sucralose is a synthetic chemical that was originally cooked up in a laboratory. In the five-step patented process of making sucralose, three chlorine molecules are added to a sucrose or sugar molecule. A sucrose molecule is a disaccharide that contains two single sugars bound together; glucose and fructose. But the chemical process to make sucralose alters the chemical composition of the sugar so much that it is somehow converted to a fructo-galactose molecule. This type of sugar molecule does not occur in nature and therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it”

Setting the questions of mutated molecules aside, more toxic trouble is left glaring at us; the addition of these 3 chlorine molecules. Chlorine has been at the center of environmental controversy for years. It is not a natural but a manufactured substance produced through an industrial process. An electrical current is passed through salt water producing chlorine and caustic soda. The dangers connected to chlorine itself would make for an entire column. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found the byproduct of chlorine, dioxin, to be 300,000 times more potent as a carcinogen than DDT.
This enough should ask the question why any ingestion of this product would be considered safe let alone “nutritious” as we are told.

The FDA has gone on record stating that “aside from any direct toxicity from sucralose itself, it may also contain trace amounts of heavy metals, arsenic, methanol and other chlorinated saccharides (sugars) however, that these contaminants are considered acceptable within current manufacturing guidelines.”

Reactions to Splenda have been document ranging from flushing and redness of the skin, rash, itching, blisters, swellings, panic attacks, depression, shaking, seizures, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, attention problems, headaches and seeing spots.

Next time you humor your sweet tooth thinking you are doing yourself a favor by reaching for a Splenda sweetened product with that “health check”, remember these few last thoughts. Splendas own studies show that at least 15% of Splenda is not excreted from your body in a timely manner. DDT compounds have the ability to be stored in the human fat molecule for at least 10 years. As well, there have only been six human trials to date on the safety of sucralose and the longest trial lasted three months.

Is sucralose or Splenda a safe, healthy product?  Many “experts” still swear by it, but as far as this girl is concerned, it’s not a friend I want in my pantry.
What we do have, however, is an entire army of sugar solutions from Nature herself. Most of which will not steal your health but actually build your health.

We begin to look at the good-guys, next time we walk the natural path.

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Who are the Good Guys?

Even the best of us need a little sweetening up every now and again.  But if table sugar is not all that it is cooked up to be and artificial sweeteners are simply dangerous, what options are left?

Thankfully, once again, nature has not left us without its own possibilities. Possibilities that don’t just steal your health but may contain nourishing and healing properties of their own. 

Date sugar is a whole-food sweetener made of dried, pulverized dates. But be a wary shopper, some brands add oat flour to make it free-flowing, others add oil for softness. Date sugar is rich in iron, potassium and vitamins and has a high fiber content to slow absorption. Date sugar does not dissolve, but is delicious in baking and crumb toppings. It burns easily, so bake with care.

Definitely more resembling their natural state and less refined than white sugar are barley malt syrup and brown rice syrup.  Be sure to read labels, because some brands may be cut with corn syrup or refined sugar. 

Molasses, even more so blackstrap molasses, contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron. It is not as sweet as sugar. “Unsulphured molasses” indicates no sulphur dioxide was used in extraction or as a preservative.

Maple syrup contains high levels of calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorous, iron, thiamin. It also has B2, B5, B6, riboflavin, biotin and folic acid, and many amino acids and phenolic compounds. Watch for the organic syrups to avoid residues of formaldehyde and other chemicals used to keep tap holes open longer.
Sucanat is the trade name for  SUgar CAne NATural, and is made from evaporated sugar cane juice. It is milled into granules much the same size as white sugar, but with a tawny hue. Sucanat is about 88 percent sucrose, or simple sugar, as compared to table sugar, which is 99 percent sucrose, but it retains more vitamins, minerals, and other trace nutrients found in sugar cane.

It can be replaced 1-to-1 for white sugar.

These are natural, more “user-friendly” sweeteners but moderation and wisdom are still very important. They have still gone through a refining process and some may be pasteurized. As simple carbohydrates they  react instantly in  the body by spiking blood sugar levels, stir sugar cravings, feed internal yeast and pack a lot of calories to the punch.

There are some new, even kinder faces on the block. We will meet them next time we walk the natural path.

I have to give huge applause to local restaurants like the Prairie Seasons Bakery in Neepawa, who put healthy alternative to white sugar on their tables. Diners and coffee drinkers will benefit immensely to being introduced to new ways to sweeten up safely.

These are a few of the natural options that sweeten the pot and benefit our lives. 
Agave nectar is exciting new mineral rich syrup that comes from the agave cactus. It has a natural and delicious taste similar to honey or maple syrup. It is absorbed slowly into the bloodstream and doesn't significantly raise blood sugar levels.  It contains minerals like Iron, Calcium, Potassium and Magnesium.

Stevia is the ultimate sweet leaf. A native of Paraguay, South America, stevia can be purchased as a powder, liquid extract, or as a dried whole leaf. It is an amazing little sweetener that contains zero calories. Stevia is nutrient-rich, containing substantial amounts of protein, calcium, phosphorous and other important nutrients. When stevia is concentrated in a powder or liquid form it is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar.
Xylitol once was derived from birchwood or pecan shells, but today typically comes from corncobs. It tastes similar to cane sugar and is approved as a natural food additive. Xylitol has the same consistency and sweetness as white sugar, but with 33% fewer calories. Xylitol inhibits the growth of bacteria that promote tooth decay. It decreases plaque, hardens tooth enamel, cut dental acids, repairs emerging cavities, has a cooling effect in the mouth, has no aftertaste.  Studies also indicate xylitol is good to prevent ear infections and sinus infections. 

None of these above sweeteners are known to feed candida.  They have low glycemic index, do not spike blood levels and are safe for diabetics and those with hyperglycemia.

Date Sugar is created from grinding dried dates. It is sweet with a wonderful flavor and can substitute regular sugar in recipes 1:1 while imparting more flavor, fiber, and nutrients.  However, it does not dissolve in liquid like sugar so it cannot be used in drinks.  In baking, use hot water to try and dissolve it and don't replace all the sugar in a recipe with date sugar. 

Maple Syrup has a wonderful flavor and can be used to sweeten more than just pancakes. It is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc. 

The difference between organic and conventional maple syrup is that organic assures of quality and that our environment is protected. The organic label limits the number of taps per tree.  Organic syrup cannot use formaldehyde in the tapping of the trees.   The organic label protects the woodland area and tree management and does not allow chemicals or pesticides in the area. 

Maple Syrup is sold by Grades. The early tapping produces the finer, clearer, and lighter Grade A syrup while the end of the season will produce the thicker, richer, deeper in color and flavor Grade B.

Maple Syrup is sweeter than sugar so when replacing sugar in a recipe use less. (3/4 cup for every 1 cup of sugar) and cut back (3 tablespoons) on the other liquids in the recipe. Add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup of Maple Syrup.

Molasses is rich and thick and has a strong unique flavor but is not as sweet as sugar. It is rich in minerals (chromium, potassium and iron) and has a good balance of calcium and magnesium.  It too is more acidic than sugar. 

Like Maple Syrup, Molasses is sold in grades, which have to do with which boiling of the sugar cane it comes from.  The last boiling is blackstrap molasses, which is quite strong and slightly bitter. Higher grades like first molasses are better for baking.  Some molasses are labeled as "sulphured" because the sugar cane is picked too young and is ripened with sulphur. This molasses is also cheaper, doesn't taste as good, and is not really natural. In baking use 1 and 1/3 cup of molasses for 1 cup of sugar. Since it's more acidic, add a teaspoon of baking soda.  Since it adds liquid, reduce other liquid in the recipe by 1/3 cup.Honey is one of nature’s absolute unsung heroes.

It’s a powerhouse both nutritionally and medically and its properties for health and healing will absolutely amaze you. So to give honey its full glory, it will receive an entire upcoming column to itself.

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The Bee’s Have it

Those busy little bees we see humming around flower gardens this summer have no idea the treasure trove they store.

From the nectar they sip from blossoms, they work through the tedious process to create amazing gift of honey.

Honey, which has been used for thousands of years by man, has indeed been dubbed a wonder food.

Not just another handy choice for natural white sugar substitute, raw honey is a perfect nourishing, food.

With 64 calories in each tablespoon, honey is booming in D, A, C, almost all the B-complex, iron, calcium, niacin, certain amino acids, minerals, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc and other trace elements. It also contains proteins, carbohydrates, organic acids, and a rich supply or raw enzymes, which are required for the proper functioning of your body systems.  Totaled up, unpasturized raw honey contains well over 75 nutritional substances.

Honey has a healthy Glycemic Index, meaning that its sugars can be gradually absorbed into the bloodstream to result in better digestion.

Benefits nutritionally aside, raw honey also has long and fascinating history of medical success. 

Science is rediscovering what the ancient Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Chinese knew long ago. Honey is a phenomenal healer.

High in bacteria, fungal, and virus fighting qualities has proven itself more than reliable in many injuries that involved breaking of skin because it protects against infection while boosting the healing process

An editorial in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine reports on the use of honey as dressings for burns, gangrene and open wounds and comments that “The therapeutic potential of uncontaminated, pure honey is grossly underutilized.” and “the time has now come for conventional medicine to lift the blinds off this 'traditional remedy' and give it its due recognition."

Honey was found to exhibit a significant inhibitory effect on the heliocobacter pylori bacteria, thought to be the single most common cause of gastric ulcers.

In 1999, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration -- the equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration -- approved honey as a medicine.
Honey has also been known to have an extra punch when combined with common healing spices.

The mixture of honey and ginger is an excellent expectorant and therefore provides instant relief to a person suffering from cough, cold, sore throat, and runny nose, as well as reducing the effects of asthma, sinusitis and bronchitis.

A honey and ginger tonic or syrup is a good digestive aid due to the inherent digestive properties of ginger. Both ginger and honey have antioxidant properties thereby increasing the immunity of the body. Therefore, consumption of one teaspoonful of ginger and honey tonic is very useful for people who have a weak digestive system.

Honey and cinnamon paste is good for boosting the immune system, removing regular fatigue and increasing the longevity of an individual.  Honey and cinnamon also has been known to help in improving the digestive system, remove gas from the stomach and intestine and treat stomachache, flatulence, indigestion, bladder infections, and mastitis.

Paste of honey and cinnamon is often used to treat insect bites and improve skin infections and pimples

Honey and cinnamon also nurture hair, reduce hair loss and further their growth. A mixture prepared from the two is also useful in dental care, particularly in removing bad breath and toothache.

This paste also helped in providing some relief to arthritis patients.

The honey you purchase needs must be unpasteurized and raw, as processing kills the natural properties. It should be organically produced and carefully collected and packaged with good quality control and sanitary practices.

We are so fortunate in our community to have locally produced honey that does offer a high quality and safest product.

Agreeing with the Centers for Disease Control, however, I would make one exception to the unpasteurized honey rules. I would not recommend raw, unpasteurized honey, or even pasteurized honey, for infants under one year. This recommendation is simply erring on the side of safety. Pasteurization is not reliable for deactivation of spores - nor is filtering, and for newborn infants, such a precaution is absolutely worthwhile.

http://www.deliciousorganics.com/controversies/sweet.htm

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